Reciprocal IVF

Reciprocal IVF is an assisted reproductive treatment for female homosexual couples, and is the receiving of ova from a partner. It consists of a technique of in vitro fertilisation in which one of the women of the couple undergoes ovarian stimulation to produce mature eggs, which are extracted by an ovarian puncture. Subsequently, an egg is extracted and fertilised with the sperm of a donor. The resulting embryos are transferred to the uterus of the other partner, through the same procedures that are followed in a conventional treatment. Receiving eggs from the partner is a novel technique from the social point of view, but medically does not imply any change in the laboratory routine.